TigerB

Yes, that would be it. To get the times you want in the speciality restaurants, or even to bag the earlier times in the MDRs, you need to be on the Cruise Planner during the first couple of days of the dining reservations being released; the earlier the better.

Perhaps the contributor missed them when they were released, and later saw them as 'enquire on board' only.

Which cruise was this for? We were able to pre-book Sindhu and Epicurean two weeks out for our Fjords cruise in June.

Thanks for keeping us updated.👍 I think if we were subjected to the noise problems that the neighbours of those two cabins experienced our lass would have been having some (proper Anglo-Saxon) words with the offenders. You can take the lass out of Hull....😉 I'm with you on the 'preferential treatment' of the officers at the expense of fare paying diners. Tell me, how does a free dessert in Beach House work given that it is a set price for three courses? Do they take a couple of quid off the bill?

Like you, I expect the answer is a big fat no. That said, what can they do if you vote with your feet and thereafter try and get a table in the freedom dining MDR as a walk-in or using the app? Do you think they would have someone there at the desk barring you entry, or put a block on you using the app to make a reservation? 🤔

That's the gist of it, as I understand it. We do not like sharing tables and prefer to eat early, but are put off from fixed dining because we could not guarantee being placed on a table for two.

I have recently uploaded Horizons from a more recent trip, in June this year... https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2943400-not-quite-live-from-iona-g318-fjords-10th-june/page/8/#comment-65582164

That was a lucky escape for you.😉 In Hamburg are you going to deploy the blindfold?😄

Another detailed and informative post.👍 It's a shame about the noise around your cabin, but as you say, you managed some sleep and others had it worse. What is it with folk that, when faced with a heavy door, don't even think to hold on to it so it closes quietly? Oh no! Letting it slam is the way to go!🙄 I'm glad your lunches had been generally consistent but, as you say, the app is not really working as it should. I'm glad also that your faith has been restored with Epicurean; that white chocolate sphere is also a favourite of mine; like a Kinder egg for adults and, to paraphrase Brian Potter, it's a taste sensation. It's a shame that Sindhu didn't live up to your expectations. Is this that prawn and lobster doodah that your good lady had...? I like that too but, for me it's just a two-bite main. I have already resolved, the next time I have it, to ask for two .....or maybe three!🐽 It's good that you did the honourable thing, and also had the cheese plate to alleviate any awkwardness she may feel. The things we have to suffer for a happy marriage!🤭

Another good report, young man.👍 It sounds like your missus is just like mine, a veritable magpie. Not just with the glittery stuff either. I mean, how many handbags does one person need? I sometimes hark back to the days when she was in a manual chair, and I could steer her away from potential financial danger. In the Caribbean a few years agon, I can't remember which island we were on, either Curacao or Aruba, but we went a different way back to the ship, and she missed going in the Tiffany shop. I then promised her that she could fill her boots when we got to Barbados; it turned out that the shop I thought was there was not. My relief didn't last long though; it cost me dearly a few months later when we were in the US.🙄 I too really enjoyed the sea bass in the banana leaf when we were last on Britannia. Unfortunately, you won't be able to have it when you are on Iona next month; they, like Arvia, don't serve serve main dishes; everything is trio this and trio that. I recall the accessible transfers being good in Copenhagen. To be best of my recollection, when we were ready to return, the mini bus was not on that street where we were dropped off; it was parked nearby. An agent got on her radio and, hey presto, it appeared. The one thing about Copenhagen that was really annoying were the abandoned bikes on the footpaths on some of the side streets. More than a couple of times, I had to move them. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. I'll be interested to hear about Skagen; we've not been there before.

That's poor with the land choo-choo service; it's not as if your arrival was out of season. Perhaps they also use them at other locations, and on our visit there weren't any ships in elsewhere, so they brought them all to us. We've not been on Azura, mainly because my wife prefers not to fly these days. We've found Britannia to have good accessible cabins, but Arvia and Iona have much better facilities. By the way, for those two bigger ships, if you ever considered an inside cabin you shouldn't necessarily discount them because they are classed as partially accessible. Depending on the size of your husband's chair and how you have the bed configuration, they may be suitable for you. We've stayed in them twice, and they've been fine. That said, the balconies of the accessible cabins on those ships are great.

I'm glad you had a great time and found the accessible facilities to your liking, in the main. Iona and Arvia, although not perfect, are miles ahead of the rest of the fleet for accessibility. I cannot fathom out why the designer of the accessible bathrooms thought the rail that high up and near the door was a good idea. Firstly, it's useless for a wheelchair user. Secondly, as you say, you can't put anything on it as it interferes with the door. When we were on Arvia the first time, there were an able bodied couple in the accessible cabin next to us. One night we left the cabin to go to dinner and I'm standing against the wall opposite, waiting for the door to close. At the same time, the guy next door comes out, but he stands too close to his door, so it doesn't close. Next, his missus, obviously thinking the door is shut, comes into view in just her bra and pants, saw me and jumped back out of view. Boy, did her old man get what for!😄 When we were in Olden in June, I counted seven land choo-choos but I think there were more. Although some had different livery, they were all operated by the same company, Olden Sightseeing. Of the seven I counted, four had the ramps at the back. The cycle appeared to be one accessible one, followed by a non-accessible one, and so on. Perhaps, when you were there they may have used less, or the cycle was out of sync. We've lost count the number of times folk talk to me rather than our lass. My usual response is, "Her legs don't work, but her ears and mouth work just fine".

I've not heard that before, but didn't half laugh.🤣 Something to think about for the future 🤔 Good report again; hopefully, they will take your feedback onboard🤞

Some lithium batteries can be removed from the chair or scooter and charged independently.

As others have written, your spends and balance are on the My Holiday app. I also write my daily spends down in a notebook, and check that against the app the next day.

Good report, again.👍 I'm not surprised you were proper knackered after all that backwards and forwards, and up and down. It's been 35 years since I was last in Oslo, as a 20yr old with not much money, and was caught (intentionally) fare dodging after three successful attempts. When the ticket inspector came along the tram repeatedly calling, "billeter", my girlfriend at the time was ready to throw the towel in. I did all the talking, and in my best ignorant Brit abroad performance, feigned ignorance of the system and managed to purchase two tickets. I'm keen to go back, and I expect it is unrecognisable to how I remember it. I will though pay the proper fare.😉 I'm glad your second visit to Epicurean was better, and a good result on the partial refund 👍

That's correct; it looked like they had moved a table to make space.

On Iona last month they had the crêpes cart set up in the middle of the restaurant next to the cart with ham on. One lad was carving and flambéing all night. Everything else that said 'prepared at the table' was done in the galley.

Or maybe the 'P' alerts the deck manager that the guest likes to put pineapple stickers on their cabin door.

Just Arvia and Iona then😕

On our first day on Arvia last month I said to our cabin steward that we prefer the butter ones rather than the coconut ones. Thereafter, we got six packets each day.

On Iona last month, Capt Dunlop felt very pleased with himself for naming two manoeuvres when leaving port: the Stavanger Shuffle and the Haugesund Hustle.

Food perving ...love it!😄 It just must be an Arvia and Iona thing then; they probably don't think the clientele they are trying to attract on those ships deserve such luxury.🙄

One of those things is smoked salmon at breakfast. I don't eat ham, so instead of Eggs Benedict I would always ask for Eggs Royale. On Arvia in January I was told that due to supply issues, they served it with a regular salmon fillet on the side. Six months later they are still doing it. It's nice enough, but I prefer the smoked salmon. The cynical side of me would think it's not a supply issue at all, but another cut back.

But only if you pay for the Costa coffee? I'm not tight, and our lass would welcome me shelling out for a cappuccino for her, but I drink black coffee and prefer a filter coffee to an Americano; Costa don't serve the former.